The Former MVP Candidate Has Struggled to Replicate His Past Production, What’s Next?
Katie Woo of The Athletic reported that the market for 3B Nolan Arenado may be warming up. The perennial Gold Glover has stated he is open to moving to first base if it means adding roster flexibility for a trade to a contender.
The report also states that President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak will not merely trade Arenado just to move him and that any move would not entail a salary dump.
It’s interesting to see this development, partly due to Arenado’s offensive decline since his MVP-caliber campaign in 2022, where he posted a 149 wRC+. His declining bat speed is largely to blame, with his HardHit% taking a sharp hit this past season (31.2%).
Much of Arenado’s value over the past two seasons has come with the glove. He’s arguably one of the best defensive third-basemen ever; moving him down the spectrum could destroy any value he still offers.
Moving Arenado makes a lot of sense for the Cardinals, as the team is looking to rebuild its farm and player development systems with a new regime taking over in 2026. A trade could offer more playing time for a guy like Thomas Saggese or offer more opportunities for Brendan Donovan at the hot corner.